Nintendo held their first Nintendo Direct of the year, announcing their upcoming games for the first half of the year. Sadly, there wasn’t much Wii U news, but that’s because of the 3DS focus, since there is a new piece of hardware. After an annoyingly long wait and well past the holiday shopping season, Nintendo is finally bringing the New 3DS to America after Japan (and strangely Australia) got to enjoy it. The system has improved head-tracking 3D, more power under the hood, a faster OS, Amiibo/NFC support, two more shoulder buttons, and a c-stick (right stick) nub. (An Amiibo adapter is expected for older 3DS models.) Read more…

So far, all the games that use Amiibo, the Skylanders-like toys that unlock in-game bonuses, are published by Nintendo. But the upcoming One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X for 3DS will be the first third-party game to include Amiibo support. The toys will unlock costumes for the various fighters that transform them into the same Nintendo characters. So tapping the Mario Amiibo will give main character Luffy a Mario outfit. These aren’t simple reskins, but fully-designed costumes that look more creative than I’d expect. The trailer below shows off the Smash Bros.-like fighting action, with the Amiibo details showing up near the end. Read more…

With the New 3DS and New 3DS XL out in Japan (and for some reason Australia), it was inevitable that Nintendo would eventually discontinue the original 3DS and 3DS XL models. But surprisingly, Nintendo has already announced that it was soon ending production on the 3DS XL (actually called the 3DS LL in Japan). In the past, Nintendo has left previous models in production, as a low-cost option for consumers. (For example, at one point the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL were in production, partially because the larger DSi XL didn’t truly replace the previous models because many consumers want a smaller device.) But with the New 3DS systems effectively replacing the old 3DS systems around the same price, it’s not surprising that the previous models would disappear much quicker. The only thing strange about this is that Nintendo is still keeping the original 3DS in the marketplace. It’s a strange choice for what was easily the weakest design of them all, with small issues that suggested it was rushed to market. Get that thing out of here! Read more…

Japan will soon see the release of the New 3DS, an upgraded version of the 3DS handheld with extra controls and horsepower. One of the features of the smaller model (not the bigger New 3DS XL) is changeable faceplates, featuring Nintendo characters and other designs. So to promote this and tie-in with the recent release of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Nintendo made an ad with Japanese pop idol Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. This girl is like the Japanese version of Lady Gaga, but more cute-weird than sexy-weird. After learning this sequence of events, you can see how this ad turned out to be so weird, with various Nintendo characters getting sort of dressed up, if you somehow consider a mish-mash of patterns to be proper formal wear. Read more…

It may not be quite as good as a hands-on demo, but Japan’s first ad for the New 3DS does a good job of showing off the system’s new design. There’s a new C-stick (more of a nub), more meant to control the camera than act as a stick. You can also use the new Amiibo toys (think Skylanders toys) without needing a separate NFC adapter. What’s missing is a good view of the new extra shoulder buttons, as well as the movement of the card slot and stylus holder to the bottom of the handheld. The increased horsepower also gets no mention. Still, I know that I’ll be picking this up for the various upgrades, if only Nintendo will announce it for release. While the New 3DS is out in Japan next month and has just been announced for Australian release on November 21, the system won’t be released in North America or Europe until 2015! Read more…

Hoo boy, this is already getting confusing. Nintendo is putting out an upgraded 3DS with more power called the New 3DS and New 3DS XL. But since that’s not being released outside of Japan until 2015, any new 3DS models are going to cause confusion. Take some limited edition 3DS XLs announced for release at Gamestop. There are limited run models featuring designs from Super Smash Bros. (September 19), NES (October 10), and Persona Q (no date, but likely November 25, the day of the game’s release). But while these are all awesome, new designs, they are not the “New 3DS XL,” so anyone buying these new models should be aware that the hardware will be outdated sometime in the first half of 2015. The designs are still worth getting, but it’s a weird time to release them. Also, that NES model could have a better design on the shell than just the controller. Read more…

Despite some leaks confirming this much, much earlier than intended, Shulk is now officially confirmed for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS. His intro trailer features his swappable Monado Arts that alter his abilities, which he then uses against Bowser, Link, and Marth. He also comes with a swimsuit alternate costume! In related news, Nintendo also announced Xenoblade for the New 3DS, taking advantage of the new system’s upgraded processor. This port of the Wii game will hopefully let more people have a chance to experience it (given how hard it is to find a copy of the Wii game now). It’s definitely a good time to be a Xenoblade fan! Both trailers and more images below. Read more…

Nintendo surprised everyone (sort of… well, not really) by revealing two new iterations of their 3DS handhelds yesterday, titled simply New 3DS and New 3DS LL. Almost identical to the existing systems, except with improved 3D capabilities, a faster processor for speedier menus and downloads, ZL and ZR buttons, NFC support for Amiibos, and a new right-side nub for emulating that dual-joystick style you all love so much. While the LL (called the XL in the US) stays mostly the same, the New 3DS opts for a matte styling this time, taking its design cues from the LL. The smaller version also features exchangeable cover-plates so you can customize your system however you’d like! They arrive October 11th in Japan and sometime in 2015 for US and Europe. Read more…